Building Energy Smart Technologies (BEST) Center

Logo for the Building Energy Smart Technologies (BEST) Research Center. The logo features the word “BEST” integrated into a green building silhouette with wireless connectivity and renewable energy symbols, alongside the text “Building Energy Smart Technologies Research Center.”


The Building Energy Smart Technologies (BEST) Center is a partnership between theÌýÂÌñ»»ÆÞ and City College of New York operating using theÌýÌýmodel, fostering collaborations between the building industry and university research.ÌýThe center aims to advance energy systems through university-industry partnerships to engineer the intelligent and efficient cities of tomorrow.Ìý

Members of the center’s industry advisory board (IAB) participate in research project selection, student mentorship, and direct the center’s research strategy. IAB members benefit through student recruitment, networking and collaborating with other industry partners, access to state-of-the-art building science research facilities, and royalty-free licensing of IP generated from center funded research.

Center Research Scope and Themes

Diagram illustrating the scope of the built environment and building energy systems. The left side shows three scales—buildings, communities and urban centers—and key goals including energy efficiency and sustainability, intelligence and controllability, resiliency and reliability, affordability and cost-effectiveness, healthy environments and occupant productivity. The right side organizes building systems into demand-side components (building envelope, lighting, equipment and appliances, HVAC systems), ma

To cover the diversity of the building industry needs, the center has six research themes:Ìý

  1. Innovative Building Materials: Developing advanced construction materials and envelope technologies, such as high-performance insulation, phase-change materials, and adaptive façades, to improve building energy efficiency, durability, and environmental sustainability.
  2. Advanced Energy Systems: Advancing high-efficiency building energy systems and equipment, including HVAC, thermal management, and ventilation technologies, to improve energy performance while enhancing occupant comfort, health, and productivity.
  3. Integrated Energy Generation and Storage: Integrating renewable energy generation and storage technologies, including building-integrated photovoltaics, combined heat and power systems, thermal energy storage, and district energy systems, to enable resilient and low-carbon building operations.
  4. Smart Buildings and Cities: Developing data-driven building and urban infrastructure systems that utilize sensors, IoT technologies, digital twins, and artificial intelligence to improve energy efficiency, occupant comfort, operational intelligence, and urban sustainability.
  5. Intelligent Grid Systems: Advancing smart grid architectures, distributed energy resource coordination, and real-time control strategies that enable secure, adaptive, and efficient energy distribution between buildings, microgrids, and utility networks.
  6. Building Retrofit Applications: Creating scalable retrofit technologies and implementation strategies for existing buildings, including energy-efficient upgrades, electrification solutions, and smart controls, to reduce energy use, carbon emissions, and lifecycle operating costs.

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